Biddenden Maids. Commemorative biscuit, late 18th-early 19th century?, rectangular biscuit, moulded with relief image of a pair of conjoined twin girls in medieval dress, lettered above 'Biddenden', broken, with horizontal break and some loss, especially to edges, 8.5 x 5.3cm (3.5 x 2ins), (Qty: 1) A rare and curious survival: known as Biddenden Cakes, examples of these hard commemorative biscuits can found in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, and the Wellcome Collection, London. Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, known as the Biddenden Maids, are said to have been conjoined twins born in the village of Biddenden, Kent, in 1100, who lived until the age of 34. Tradition has it that when one of the twins died the other refused to be separated from her dead twin saying,“As we came together we will go together”, and died six hours later. The twins are reputed to have bequeathed land to the village, known as the 'Bread and Cheese Lands', the rent from which was used to pay an annual dole of food and drink to the poor at Easter. Since at least 1775 the dole included Biddenden Cakes bearing the effigy of the conjoined maids. The earliest biscuits made are thought to have been lettered only 'Biddenden', as here, with later examples showing the names of the twins and their date of birth and age at death.
Biddenden Maids. Commemorative biscuit, late 18th-early 19th century?, rectangular biscuit, moulded with relief image of a pair of conjoined twin girls in medieval dress, lettered above 'Biddenden', broken, with horizontal break and some loss, especially to edges, 8.5 x 5.3cm (3.5 x 2ins), (Qty: 1) A rare and curious survival: known as Biddenden Cakes, examples of these hard commemorative biscuits can found in the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, and the Wellcome Collection, London. Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, known as the Biddenden Maids, are said to have been conjoined twins born in the village of Biddenden, Kent, in 1100, who lived until the age of 34. Tradition has it that when one of the twins died the other refused to be separated from her dead twin saying,“As we came together we will go together”, and died six hours later. The twins are reputed to have bequeathed land to the village, known as the 'Bread and Cheese Lands', the rent from which was used to pay an annual dole of food and drink to the poor at Easter. Since at least 1775 the dole included Biddenden Cakes bearing the effigy of the conjoined maids. The earliest biscuits made are thought to have been lettered only 'Biddenden', as here, with later examples showing the names of the twins and their date of birth and age at death.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
